Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, who has been critical of President Donald Trump's immigration policies, previously expressed similar views, saying a barrier at the southern border was needed to stop "tons" of drugs from coming into the United States.

Speaking to a South Carolina rotary club in November 2006, then-Sen. Joe Biden (D., Del.) touted his support for the Secure Fence Act, a bill that authorized "700 miles of double-layered fence on the border through more than a billion dollars in appropriations," CNN reported Friday. Biden made the comments in the run-up to his failed presidential bid in 2008.

"Folks, I voted for a fence, I voted, unlike most Democrats—and some of you won't like it—I voted for 700 miles of fence," Biden told the group. "But, let me tell you, we can build a fence 40 stories high—unless you change the dynamic in Mexico and—and you will not like this, and—punish American employers who knowingly violate the law when, in fact, they hire illegals. Unless you do those two things, all the rest is window dressing."